Gypsum boards have been widely used mainly as interior materials of buildings, because of their excellent fireproof, sound insulating, and heat insulating properties, as well as their availability at low prices. Gypsum boards are manufactured generally by a pouring method. In the method, gypsum slurry that is composed of calcined gypsum, water, a dispersant, and other additive(s), is stirred and kneaded with an expanded foam in a mixing machine; the mixture is poured between the sheets of base paper to be sandwiched; and the thickness and the width are adjusted, and then cured, cut, and dried to obtain a gypsum board. Different types of gypsum boards are available, such as normal boards, hard boards, reinforced boards, and decorative boards. Although types of additives, mixing amounts, addition of reinforced materials, and the like may be changed depending on characteristics required for each of the boards, the boards can be manufactured by the same method.
When the gypsum slurry is manufactured, a dispersant is used in order to enhance ductility of a gypsum board to base paper, as well as to reduce a unit water amount in the manufacture of slurry, which enhances drying efficiency of the slurry, and to increase the density of a molded board so that a high strength board is obtained.
Formaldehyde-based compounds such as a naphthalenesulfonate formaldehyde condensate, a melaminesulfonate formaldehyde condensate, and a formaldehyde condensate of a bisphenol and aminobenzenesulfonic acid have been conventionally and widely used as dispersants for gypsum (see Patent Documents 1 and 2).
Patent Document 3 discloses a self leveling aqueous gypsum composition having a high flow value and an excellent self leveling property, which is prepared by adding a polycarboxylic acid dispersant to an aqueous gypsum composition.
Patent Document 4 discloses a gypsum dispersant characterized by including a water soluble amphoteric polymer compound as a main component. The water soluble amphoteric polymer compound contains a structural unit having a nitrogen atom selected from an amido group, an amino group, and an imino group; a structural unit having a carboxylic acid group; and a structural unit having a polyalkylene glycol group, and the compound is obtained by polymerization. However, due to impurities contained in gypsum raw materials, the effects of the dispersant may not be stably exerted, and thus an improvement has been needed.